Deceit and Honesty
by the shattered star
Summary: The OotP decides to make a deal with Draco Malfoy; his freedom from Azkaban in exchange for his loyalty. He accepts. But somehow, even though he thought he had his betrayal all planned out, a certain brown haired Mudblood gets in the way.
1. Intro

**A/N Coucou! This is my newest work-in-progress and my second Dramione. I assure you that this will surpass the writing that was in **_**Grey, **_**and will actually have characters and descriptions that are constant. ;) In any case, some info that may be helpful:**

**At this point, Harry, Ron and Hermione have the locket. They managed to make it back to Grimmauld place undiscovered; Hermione was able to kick Avery off her leg, so their location is still unknown by the Death Eaters.**

**Other than that, everything else is canon-compliant. Review, if you please!**

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Intro

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Above the ocean and its rolling waves stood the cliffs of Dover. In the fading moonlight they seemed pale, deceptive; almost ghostly. Silence; one could almost hear the frenzied scuttling of beetles as they buried their way through the cliffs of rock. If one were to stand on the cliffs, the only sound she might hear would be the sounds of the rumbling waves, rolling across the cliff's side, crooning sorrowfully.

There had been a storm the night before; the gulls had flown inland, away from the noise and the chaos. They flew peacefully, squawking occasionally. The sound was the only one the rock face had heard for a day; it waited, now, for another sound to approach, to grace its fearful shores.

A scream of agony pierced the darkness like a knife, throwing all appearances of calm away. Draco Malfoy was being tortured, his mind was being controlled and forced to dwell on things he couldn't bear. Bang; the first time he ever saw Voldemort. Bang; the first time he was tortured. Bang; the first time he killed something. Bang; the look on Dumbledore's face as he flew out of the window of his office. In a dark cell in Azkaban, a skinny, pale, blond boy curled up in a ball, thrusting his hands in front of his face, trying to block out the painful images.

"No, no," he moaned piteously. The count was 89. Eighty-nine days of hell. Eighty-nine days of rotting in a prison cell, counting the days by the number of times he was fed. But he had to keep track of the count. The count was the only thing keeping him alive right now. The count was the only thing keeping him sane. The only thing that kept Draco going was the thought that perhaps the Dark Lord would have mercy and save him. Sometimes the thought even gave him a quick flash of contentedness. But it would leave as soon as it came, being sucked away into the darkness by another floating Dementor. So Draco had nothing left to do but count. And hope, but then again, was there any reason to believe the Dark Lord would have mercy on someone who couldn't kill one man?

* * *

"Why don't we just lift the Secret Keeper spell and let anyone who bloody pleases come in!" Ron burst out, trying to resist the temptation to hit Remus.

"Ron, control yourself," Remus snapped back. "Listen to what I'm saying; perhaps, after being in Azkaban for so long, he may be able to help you!"

"Malfoy would never help us, no matter the cost," Harry stated blatantly.

Hermione looked up from her map. "Remus, I understand why you think that this will work, but we have no proof! We have the locket now, so I think we should focus on trying to destroy it."

"But think about it, Hermione. All three of you wouldn't have to go and get Malfoy; you have all of the Order of the Phoenix with you. You could potentially split up; Harry and Ron could go and destroy the Horcrux while you help us fetch Malfoy," Remus pointed out.

"Who said anything about splitting up!?" Ron asked irately. "And why Hermione?"

"Because out of you three she has the most intelligence," Remus said bluntly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She thinks on her feet; she is more capable in situations like that than you two are!" Remus cried.

"Ron, sit _down_," Harry said, pulling Ron down to his chair. "Remus is right, and you know it." Ron mumbled something unintelligible.

"But Remus, I still don't understand; what would we gain out of having Malfoy on our side?" Hermione asked, still puzzled.

"Something that the Order of the Phoenix has been after for a very long time; inside information," Remus said, his eyes gleaming. "You went to school with this boy; he knows you all. He's not going to betray you, and he is still young enough to be swayed."

"And?" Hermione prompted, sensing something missing in Remus's speech.

"And, I think the fact that a non-pureblood helped him out of Azkaban may do something to convince him to join us," Remus admitted.

"I see…" Hermione said, trailing off. "And if I agree to this? Then what happens to Ron and Harry?"

"We go with you, of course!" Ron exclaimed, rather protectively.

"Remus?" Hermione questioned.

"I think… I think it'd be better if Hermione went on her own—"

"NO!"

"Are you _mad?!_"

"LISTEN!" Hermione yelled. "I think Remus may have a point."

"Malfoy is more likely to trust you and not the other two, Hermione."

He hates Hermione!" Ron protested.

"He hates you more," Remus shot back.

"No, Ron, it's true," Hermione said, turning towards Ron. "If we do this, I think it'd be best if only I went."

"And she wouldn't be alone," Remus added. "The entire Order would be behind her."

"I'm not asking for your permission, Harry," Hermione said bluntly as she saw Harry's mouth open to say something.

Harry pursed his lips in defeat. "I don't suppose we'll be able to talk you out of this?"

"No, indeed," Hermione said, a lilting smile on her face.

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**A/N Enjoyable? Any OOCness? Let me know in a review… The next installment will be out shortly. :D Bisous ~ the shattered star**


	2. Trust

**A/N Do not expect updates to be this frequent; there is no way I can get updates out as fast as this one! It's only because I had already written this one, so enjoy it. :D Thanks for all the reviews so far; more are always appreciated.**

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_Chapter 1_

Trust

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Hermione looked around furtively, not daring to move until she was certain that there was no one in close proximity to her. She had taken the invisibility cloak with her. Harry had gladly lent it to her for the next few days, hoping it would keep her safe. She hoped it wouldn't take too long to get back to Grimmauld Place; she couldn't Apparate from Azkaban because it was too easily traced. So unless there was a floo in Azkaban, she and Malfoy would be walking for about a day before she could Apparate back to headquarters.

Hermione swept the invisibility cloak over her head and started walking towards the enormous lake upon which Azkaban lay. There was a great expanse of water before her, so she had to conjure a boat. She knew that Remus and Kingsly had taken care of the human guards, so all she had to worry about were the Dementors. She thought that she would use a Patronus like the one they had seen Umbridge use in the Ministry; she just hoped that she could keep her happy thought lucid long enough to get herself and Malfoy out of the tower. _It _is_ a tower… _Hermione thought, squinting up at Azkaban. She could already start to feel the chills of the Dementors, so after making the boat invisible and pushing off from the shore, Hermione cast the spell to conjure her wandering Patronus. _"Expecto Patronum Maximus," _she whispered. She smiled when she saw her otter appear, swimming through the air; she had expected to have to try the spell a few times before she got it right. She hoped no one spotted it from inside Azkaban; she couldn't risk having her cover blown now, not when she was only a few feet away from the tower itself. In the distance, Hermione could spot the Cliffs of Dover; it was unmistakably so, as no other cliffs would shine out in such darkness and gloom as those of Dover would.

At last, Hermione reached the shore. If that was what it could be called; there were small black rocks polluting space between the water and the tower. Hermione hoped that Remus had everyone taken care of; she could take care of the Dementors, but she wasn't so sure about the Death Eaters; it was taking all her efforts to keep her Patronus swimming around her. She looked at it fondly, trying, yet again, to see herself in the otter. She supposed she was good at swimming; she had been on a team before Hogwarts. What else were otters known for? _Being clever? _Hermione thought. _I suppose so; they are rather good at getting themselves out of trouble… _She silently reprimanded herself; this was no time to be distracted; her well-being, along with Malfoy's depended on her concentration. She wondered how Malfoy would approach her. Would he be relieved? Hopefully he wouldn't go into hysterics… Perhaps he'd still be his loathful self… Hermione noticed that her Patronus was starting to fade. She quickly concentrated on a happy memory, and, like a picture dipped in acetic acid, it glowed brighter. She laid her hand on the great entrance and pushed. The heavy door opened silently. Hermione only opened it far enough to let herself through, and then she closed it again, silently thanking Remus for keeping the guards preoccupied.

Pulling the invisibility cloak tighter, Hermione made her way around the prison. She noticed a lack of chains throughout the filthy prison. She peered into each cell, the gloom pressing down on her like something tangible. She didn't spot him on the first floor, so she found the stairs and started up them as quickly as she could; she knew that the Order could only keep the guards quiet for so long. After a flight of windy stairs, Hermione found another corridor with more cells. Malfoy was in the second cell. She gasped as soon as she laid eyes on him. He was curled up in a corner, like the rest of the prisoners, but, unexpectedly, he was crying. Hermione was frozen; she had never imagined that Draco Malfoy could ever _cry_. What had happened to him? He looked like he had lost half his body weight, and he wasn't very heavy to begin with. As soon as the gasp left her lips, Malfoy looked up in her direction.

"'Ello?" he questioned softly. "If you're here to torture me, they've done that earlier t—today." Hermione couldn't believe it; she actually felt pity for this boy— this _thing _crumpled on the floor.

"_Alohamora!" _she whispered, surprised that the lock clicked on her first try. She was convinced that she'd have to either steal the keys or blast the door open. She stepped inside Malfoy's cell. Malfoy crawled away from her, until her Patronus finally approached him.

"Who are you?" he breathed. Hermione didn't answer; she simply pulled the invisibility cloak off. "Granger?" Malfoy gasped. Hermione put a finger to her lips. She was still concentrating on her happy memory, the gloom now poking her in all directions like daggers.

"Listen to me," she commanded, her voice low. "I will take you away from here, but you must do as I say. If you do not comply, I will _obliviate_ you and you will remember nothing of my being here, understood?" Malfoy nodded once, his eyes wide and bright. "Good," Hermione said, giving Malfoy the traces of a smile. "Do you agree to leave Voldemort and his followers and join the Order of the Phoenix?" A nod. "Alright. That's all I can do for now; I don't have any Verateserum on me, so we'll have to wait until we get back to headquarters…" Hermione muttered. "Where's your wand?" she asked Malfoy.

"Over there," Malfoy said, pointing. "They keep it where we can see it, but can't get to it."

"I see," Hermione said, frowning at Malfoy. She could only imagine what he had gone through; he had been in this hell-hole for almost three months. Ever since Dumbledore's death. Hermione turned her thoughts away; she had to concentrate on happy thoughts now; she was almost out. She motioned for Malfoy to follow her. They left the cell, and Hermione draped the invisibility cloak over both of them. Hermione found Malfoy's wand with all the others on a shelf. She took it and placed it in her pocket. "You'll get it back, in time," she told Malfoy. He nodded stiffly.

Suddenly, as she turned around, Hermione saw a swarm of Dementors heading towards them. She connected the dots immediately. It was an alarm. The wand she had picked up had sent a signal to the Dementors and now they were swarming. She panicked. And without a sound, her otter disappeared. "No!" she whispered furiously.

"Why are they all swarming like that?" Malfoy asked, still disoriented. Hermione did not answer him.

"_Expecto Patronum Maximus," _she whispered, panicking at this point. The Dementors continued advancing. _"Expecto Patronum Maximus," _she said, more desperately this time. A wisp of smoke escaped from her wand. "No, no, no…" she muttered, on the brink of hysteria. A thought entered her mind; _did he know? No, I'll just have to trust him for now. He's on the verge of fainting; I don't think he's capable of much lucid thought._

"_Expecto Patronum Maximus!" _Malfoy yelled, his hand on Hermione's wand. Hermione snatched her wand out of his reach.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"Saving our skins," Malfoy responded. Sure enough, Malfoy's dragon Patronus shot out of the wand and chased down most of the Death Eaters. "Run!" he yelled. Hermione did not need to be told twice. She grabbed Malfoy's arm and bolted for the door.

Malfoy somehow managed to keep up with Hermione until they reached the shore. Hermione tossed the cloak off of them and tied it around her waist. She didn't have time to conjure up another boat, so she decided that she would just have to swim across. "Can you swim?" she asked Draco hurriedly.

"No," he responded, his eyes suspicious.

"Wonderful; just hold on to me, alright?" she said testily. This was not at all going the way she had planned it. She quickly cast the bubble-head charm on both of them so that they would be able to breathe under water, and, just as she saw the Dementors making their way towards them, she stepped into the water, vanishing under its depths.

Hermione was a strong swimmer, but she'd never tried swimming with someone holding on to her, or with an invisibility cloak tied around her waist. She did the best that she could, but they were slow, and she got tired quickly. She motioned for Draco to let go of her arm and put his arms around her waist instead, but that didn't really help either.

Hermione went as quickly as she could, but it still took her half an hour to get them both to the shore. As soon as she realized that she had reached the shore, she stood up, and, dripping wet and freezing, she untied the heavy invisibility cloak. She turned to help Malfoy out of the water, when she saw that he was close to fainting. "Granger— I... don't think… that was the best… plan," he said, his voice quaking with the effort of speaking.

"Malfoy, Malfoy look at me," Hermione said sharply. She could not lug him all the way back to where she had stored her bag. "You just need to stay awake for a few more minutes, and then you can go to sleep, understood?" Malfoy nodded. "Good." She motioned for him to follow her and headed off into the patch of woods that lay beyond the lake. They trekked for a good fifteen minutes before Hermione found the hollow in which she had left her bag. She could see that if Draco didn't get in a bed that instant, he would almost definitely faint, so she found a relatively bare patch and pitched the tent muttering _"Erecto."_ She took Malfoy inside the tent and, after drying him off with her wand, she led him to his bed. "Now you can go to sleep," she said. He turned to look at her. His eyes were haunting. Malfoy looked as if he were an inferi; his cheeks were sunken and his face was as pale as cookie dough.

He said something that Hermione did not expect. "Thank you," he said to her.

"You're welcome," Hermione said automatically, without thinking. Malfoy turned down the covers and Hermione left him so that he could have a little privacy, something he was sure he had been deprived up since he had been put in Azkaban. This was strange. It was _scary_. Draco Malfoy was thanking her. And he was scared. And he had been _crying. _Hermione shook her head and tried not to think about what Malfoy had to go through in Azkaban

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**A/N Quick note; the water wouldn't be that cold because it is about September in the world of **_**Deceit and Honesty**_**, so the water would be slightly warmer than usual. Don't expect regular updates; I'm actually not solid with my plot yet, so I may take a while. Thanks to all my reviewers! Bisous ~ the shattered star**


	3. Doubt

**A/N Another chapter is finally up! I hope you like it! It's not quite as action-packed as Chapter 1, but I think it's still relatively enjoyable. Review!**

**Disclaimer: JKR's, not mine.**

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_Chapter 2_

Doubt

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_Hermione was surrounded by water. She could see air bubbles all around her, yet she could not access them to take a breath. Her lungs were about to explode unless she took a breath, but she couldn't and she shouldn't; for then the water would get in her lungs as well and then she would suffocate. At last, Hermione could hold it no longer. She gasped a breath._

Hermione awoke with a gasp. She shouldn't have fallen asleep while keeping watch, but she supposed her body was simply too tired. She sat up and stayed still for a moment. She could not fathom what had just happened; she had never had a dream of drowning before. _And it's highly improbable considering the fact that I can swim relatively well, _Hermione thought to herself, frowning. She shook her head, dislodging her thoughts of improbable drowning, and got up.

As Hermione dressed, she looked over to Malfoy's bed to make sure he was still soundly asleep. She closed her eyes and immediately her thoughts flashed over to what they boy had said the day before. _"If you're here to torture me, they've done that earlier t—today." _She couldn't imagine what he had been through while in Azkaban. If Hagrid had barely survived it… She shuddered.

Hermione finished getting dressed quickly. She approached Malfoy's bed to rouse him so that they could be on their way again. She had to get to the Apparating spot as soon as she could so that the Order could interrogate Malfoy. "Malfoy?" she whispered, lightly shaking his shoulder. Upon her touch, Malfoy heaved his body into a sitting position, his eyes wide, and his hands close to Hermione's throat. Hermione grabbed his wrists and lowered them to the bed while staring into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. Hermione nodded curtly; she supposed that she would be on edge if she had just been in prison for four months. Her eyes softened as she looked at his face.

"You didn't get any sleep at all." It was a statement, not a question. Malfoy shook his head. "We can start out a little later, if you want…" Hermione trailed off as Malfoy got out of bed.

"I'll get dressed," Malfoy said, turning his back to Hermione. Hermione looked slightly surprised, but as soon as Malfoy pulled on his filthy shirt, she left to pack up.

The nice thing about having a furnished tent was that it was easy to pitch and easy to pack. And Hermione never had to worry about forgetting something in the tent, because the tent would keep the object, whatever it may be, safe until she pitched it again. Hermione removed all of the protective spells and enchantments that she had set up the night before, and tidied up her bed. Suddenly, her stomach growled, and she realized that she had forgotten to make Malfoy and herself breakfast. She dug in her bag until she found the loaf of bread and the cheese she had brought from Grimmauld place. She ripped a hunk of bread off and took a morsel of cheese for her breakfast. She laid some aside for Malfoy and put the rest away in her bag.

By the time she was done, Malfoy had gotten dressed and was ready to leave. Hermione handed over his food without a word, and then packed up the tent.

* * *

Hermione had expected the hike to the Apparition point to take about a day's worth of walking to get to. At this point, she was sure it'd take at least two. Malfoy was walking surely enough, but he was struggling. Hermione could see the fatigue in his steps, and they had to take frequent breaks. Hermione tapped her foot impatiently whenever this happened, but she knew that it wasn't truly Malfoy's fault. It wasn't as if he'd asked to be tortured and deprived of sleep.

Hermione didn't even try to keep a conversation going. She let Malfoy take his time, and she tried her best not to rush him.

They stopped for lunch when the sun was at its peak. They had been eating in silence for some time when Hermione finally couldn't take it. She had to say _something; _the silence was almost deafening. "Did they feed you in Azkaban?" she blurted out. Malfoy looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Yes; they couldn't very well torture people who were already dying of starvation, now could they?" he said roughly. Hermione's lips quirked.

"What did they do to you, Malfoy?" Hermione whispered reverently.

"Tortured me every day. Kept me within kissing distance of Dementors. Made sure I was positively miserable for the past four months. Kept me away from everything I know," Malfoy listed, his voice hollow.

"I'm sorry."

"So am I," Malfoy said, though Hermione wasn't sure who his apology was directed at.

There was a brief moment of silence before Hermione asked her next question. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in Malfoy's voice. Hermione was surprised that she had gained such faith in such a short time from a boy who had just recently loathed her.

"Even though I'm a mudblood?" Hermione asked, curious.

"Sometimes, I suppose one must look for help in the enemy," was Malfoy's dry response, though Hermione suspected that he wasn't so sure of himself. Then he asked something she had not anticipated. "Is it true that your blood runs brown?"

Hermione simply took up her wand and opened a small cut on her finger with it. She showed the red drops to Malfoy. Then she healed the wound.

"Ah, I see that it is not," Malfoy said rather delicately.

* * *

Hermione and Malfoy kept hiking after they had finished eating. At this point, even Hermione was beginning to tire, so she couldn't imagine how tired Malfoy felt.

As soon as the sun kissed the horizon, she announced that they were going to set up camp. "We'll reach headquarters tomorrow," she said, erecting the tent. Malfoy seemed relieved to finally stop. Hermione could tell that he was exhausted, so, for the second time, she led him to his bed and left him to sleep after setting up her protective charms. But just as she was turning, Malfoy called for her. "Erm, Granger?"

"Yes?" Hermione responded, turning towards him.

"Could we… er… talk a bit?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure," Hermione said, conjuring a chair near the bed. She sat while Malfoy dangled his legs off the side of bed.

"I just wanted to know… Why did you decide to save me?" he questioned, each word slow and thought-out.

"It wasn't my idea, if that's what you're thinking," Hermione said hurriedly. She hated being thanked for something that she had no part in. "It was Remus's idea to free you."

"I see. So I owe a werewolf," Malfoy said flatly. Hermione couldn't bear his disdain for someone who, in his mind, was probably so _decidedly _lower than himself.

"And is the idea especially repulsive to you? After all, I don't suppose werewolves are considered to be much better than mudbloods amongst the Death Eaters," Hermione snapped. She was pleased to see that her words caused Malfoy to flinch. Hermione continued after a measured amount of silence. "He proposed the idea and I agreed that it seemed like the right thing to do."

"But why me?"

"Because Remus thought you were young enough to still be swayed and because he thought you'd have sufficient reason to dislike the Death Eaters after having been locked up for so long," Hermione said.

"And why you? Why didn't Potter or Weasley come?"

"Because I…" Hermione paused. "Because I was the only one who thought that you could still be saved."

"Saved from what?" Malfoy asked, his voice a whisper. Hermione only kept staring at him. She knew he knew who she was talking about. "Ah," Malfoy said, his voice even quieter. "So now, I will either agree to work as a double-agent for you, or I will rebel and be killed."

"No! Of course not, we wouldn't—"

"It doesn't matter; I'd be killed either way," Malfoy said roughly, cutting Hermione off.

"We wouldn't kill you; we'd only wipe your memory and put you back in Azkaban. Your choice."

"So basically, one leads to immediate death, while the other leads to eternity in hell," Malfoy said sardonically. "Well, I find myself at quite an impasse." Hermione laughed; she couldn't help herself. It had been a few days since she had last laughed, so it felt good, it felt real and alive. Though in truth, she knew Malfoy was only trying to be difficult. She would not let him win either way.

After her laughter subsided, Hermione found her voice again. "Do you know why the Death Eaters want to rid the world of mudbloods and half-bloods?" she asked.

"Because they aren't pure," Draco stated bluntly.

"So, I'm not pure then."

"I—"

"I, who saved you from Azkaban, am not pure. I'm not good, is that what you're saying?" Hermione asked, her voice cold.

"I... I don't know, alright?! I don't know what I've done and I don't know what I think!" Malfoy spit out furiously. Hermione didn't say a word. She had pushed him too far, and she shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. Malfoy only stared at his lap.

"Thank you either way," he whispered. Hermione swallowed. This was the second time he was thanking her, and she still couldn't get over it.

"You're welcome," she said again. Then, just out of curiosity, she asked him how long he was meant to stay in Azkaban for.

"He didn't say. He only tortured me and threw me in the cell," Malfoy said coldly.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said again. She was at a loss; what was one supposed to say when someone you had recently hated evoked pity in you? "I'll let you sleep now; we should get to headquarters tomorrow, and they'll tell you everything there."

"Good-night, Granger," Malfoy said. And Hermione could have sworn that she could hear remorse in his voice.

"Good-night, Malfoy."

* * *

The start of the next day was much like the start of the day before. Hermione got up, got dressed and roused Malfoy. Then she got breakfast, packed up the tent and they were off again.

Malfoy didn't seem as weak to Hermione. She expected them to reach the Apparition point by mid-day. Hermione made no attempts at starting up another conversation, and neither did Malfoy. They both walked in silence.

They reached the Apparition point a little after mid-day.

"Have you ever done side-along Apparation before?" Hermione asked Malfoy. He nodded. "Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Remember that," she told him. He only nodded again. She held out her hand, and he grasped it. She threw the invisibility cloak over both of them. _Destination, determination, deliberation, _Hermione thought to herself as she spun, leaving the woods in a rush of green.

It was difficult enough Apparating, but doing it with another person was especially difficult. Hermione had to focus her thoughts and could think of absolutely nothing else, or she and Malfoy could end up in the middle of nowhere, or worse, get splinched. Fortunately, both she and Draco got there in one piece. Or at least she hoped he was in piece; she couldn't quite tell as he had fainted. "Damn it!" she whispered. Apparating had been too much of a strain on Draco.

Making sure the invisibility cloak was covering both of them, Hermione put one hand under Malfoy's knees and one under his back and picked him up, as if carrying a child. Due to the fact that he had nearly been starved for three months, he was relatively light, and Hermione found that she could use her keys to unlock the great front door of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place quite easily.

After closing the door behind her, Hermione shook off the invisibility cloak and called out. "Hello?" There was a clamor of chairs being hastily pushed back, and within seconds, she was face to face with Remus, Harry, Ron and Kingsley.

"Kingsley!" Hermione cried with happiness. It had been a while since the man had visited Grimmauld Place.

"Hermione," Kingsley acknowledged, smiling. "I take it your break-out was successful?"

"As you see," Hermione said, nodding her head towards the boy in her arms.

"Why are you carrying him?" Ron asked very loudly.

"He fainted Ron, and instead of dragging him through the door, I thought I'd carry him instead; much more civilized, don't you think?" she asked, walking towards her room.

"You didn't face any trouble from the guards then, Hermione?" Remus asked. Hermione spotted a cut on his face, though she could see that his smile was genuine.

"No trouble. Thank you, Remus; the timing was perfect. And neither of us suffered any great injuries, so I think this turned out about as successful as it could have."

"Oh, Hermione, you can take him to the attic; I cleaned it up and I set up a bed in there, so he should be comfortable," Remus continued, as he followed Hermione up the stairs.

Hermione changed directions and headed towards the attic. "You don't all have to follow me; I'm actually quite famished, so if you could maybe make a little lunch…"

"Oh, right. See you in a few minutes then," Harry said hurriedly, trying to brush off any awkwardness that he had created by following her around. Ron, Kingsley and Remus followed him downstairs. Hermione heaved a sigh. She was back, and for right now, she was safe. But Malfoy was getting heavy.

Hermione opened the door to the attic. It made a loud creak, which she ignored. She looked around the room and realized that Remus had actually done a pretty good job. It still had a dead air to it; no one had been in the room for quite a while, but Hermione was sure that after a time it would lighten up. She placed Malfoy on the bed and cranked open the window to let some fresh air in. She pulled the light covers over Malfoy's body and gently brushed his hair out of his face. She was surprised at herself; she hated this boy. She hated him ever since she first set eyes on him, but now, because of Voldemort, she felt… Certainly not amicable towards him, but… the hate had lessened. Some of it had turned to pity, and the rest had turned to doubt. "Sleep well," Hermione whispered. She walked towards the door, and after one more glance back at Malfoy, she exited the room, leaving a warm breeze in her wake.

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**A/N I don't feel like this was my best chapter, but I suppose all of them can't be. In any case, reviews are very much appreciated! Bisous ~ the shattered star**


	4. Curiosity

**A/N I love Spring Break. It gives me loads of time to write and practice piano and listen to music and read… Anyway, new chapter! Enjoy, and review!**

* * *

_Chapter 3_

Curiosity

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Hermione was awakened by a sharp scream. She sat up in bed, her mind in a misty haze. She squinted her eyes in the darkness of her room, looking for her wand. _"Lumos," _she whispered. There it was, the same scream again. Hermione now realized where it was from. Barefoot, she sprinted up two flights of stairs. She banged open the door to the attic and found a writhing Malfoy.

"Malfoy!" she cried, rushing to him, desperately trying to wake him. "Malfoy!" He did not seem to hear her. "Draco!" Malfoy forced his eyes open. He was panting. "What happened, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her face pale.

"Granger?" Malfoy questioned, still bleary from sleep. "I— I…" Slow tears started to fall from his grey eyes. Hermione still couldn't get used to the sight of Malfoy crying. At this point, she wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to run out of the room and go back to sleep, but she couldn't just leave him alone crying. She knelt on the floor so that her face was level with his.

"What did you dream?" she asked. Malfoy didn't respond, only blinked slowly. Hermione repeated her question, this time with more force.

"He—" Malfoy gulped. "He killed my parents. And he f-forced me to watch. And there— there was n-nothing I could—" Malfoy closed his eyes as the tears started streaming again.

Hermione hung her head. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling like an idiot. Was there truly nothing else she could think to say? Her words sounded so hollow in her ears. Tired as she was, she was going to have to try and get Malfoy to talk to her. "Talk to me, Malfoy," she said in a weary voice. "Get it all out, tell me absolutely everything about what's happened to you since you became a Death Eater." Hermione pulled over a chair, and as in the tent, Malfoy sat up so that his legs dangled off the edge of the bed.

"You really want to know?"

Hermione didn't really want to know; in all honesty, although she pitied the boy in front of her, she still thought him a coward. But her conscience wouldn't allow her to simply stand-by while someone she knew she could help just by talking to him was slowly wasting away. "Yes, I do," she said firmly.

Malfoy swallowed and fixed his eyes downwards. "I joined the Death Eaters when I was in my sixth year. I'd been around them all my life, so I didn't think much of joining them. It's like going to school; something that, even if you don't want to, you have to do. I… er… I was asked to kill Dumbledore within a few days of getting the brand, and I agreed, not thinking much of it. After all, how hard could it be to kill an old man who would soon die anyway?" Here, Malfoy let out a contemptuous laugh. "I tried all year to avoid killing him with direct contact, but nothing worked." Malfoy looked at Hermione. "I dunno if Potter ever told you, but on the tower that night, Dumbledore said that perhaps my heart wasn't in it. Perhaps that's why the poison never seemed to reach him. I denied it, but now that I look back, I think he was right. I never actually wanted to kill him." Malfoy stared back down at the bed again. "I couldn't kill him, and instead, I had to let Snape finish my task for me," he said, tears wetting his eyes again. "Soon after that, the Dark Lord got control over the Ministry and Azkaban. He threw me in a cell as punishment for being a coward." Hermione was surprised to see that when Malfoy mentioned Voldemort, his eyes hardened and he looked irate. "And that's what happened to me."

Hermione sat in silence for a moment. "Did you truly never consider not joining the Death Eaters? Did you really feel like they were doing the right thing?" Hermione asked, rather shocked by the frankness in which Malfoy told her his story.

"I, um, suppose I did. I thought that Mudbloods and Muggles were un-pure and should be wiped off the planet, but," and here Malfoy looked straight into Hermione's eyes, "I swear, I don't think that anymore." Hermione resisted the temptation to scoff.

"I believe you," she said, finding that she believed his entire story. "But it's not me you have to convince." Before Malfoy could respond, Hermione asked another question. "What would have happened if you didn't join the Death Eaters?"

"I would have been killed," was the blunt answer. Hermione sat back in her chair. Would Voldemort truly kill someone because they refused to join? Shocked though she was, she thought it to be entirely possible. _I guess he's not as much of a coward as I thought… _Hermione thought.

"I suppose I didn't think he would go as far as killing one of his Death Eater's children," Hermione muttered. Her head snapped up at Malfoy's cruel laugh. "Do you think me naïve?" she asked haughtily.

"Extremely so," Malfoy drawled. Hermione scowled at him. This was the boy she remembered from school; a boy who didn't know how to emote any expressions save scorn, contempt and condescension. _I think I preferred him when he was crying, _Hermione thought, rolling her eyes. But perhaps she was looking too far into the past; perhaps he was honestly just trying to lighten a very heavy moment. Suddenly, Malfoy stopped laughing and his eyes clouded over again. "I wish I could go back to sixth year and…"

"And do what, Malfoy?" Hermione spat at him.

"Well not kill Dumbledore!" Malfoy exclaimed. "Just… I wish I could have somehow fixed everything that I did…"

Hermione sighed. "Don't waste your time on what ifs, Malfoy. Especially not now," she said gently. "For now, the present is our main concern."

There was a long silence between Hermione and Malfoy. Finally, after several moments, Malfoy broke it.

"Thank you. Again."

This time, Hermione didn't let the automatic response escape her lips. "For what?" she asked.

"For talking to me and listening to me and… saving me," Malfoy replied slowly. "It seems I'm in your debt, Granger."

"That's hardly fair!" Hermione cried. "It's not as if you could have done anything, locked up in Azkaban!"

"True. But I wouldn't have tried to comfort you if you were having a nightmare. At least, not before tonight."

"Are you saying that if I ever have a nightmare and start screaming in the middle of the night, you'll come and talk to me?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright. Malfoy nodded. "I'll have to keep you to that, in that case."

"Granger, I was wondering…" There was another moment of silence before Malfoy finished his thought. "This may sound strange, but could you… Could you stay where you are until I fall asleep?"

That one sentence evoked so much sympathy from Hermione that she was almost overwhelmed. He obviously did not want to ask her to stay, and yet he probably felt like he had to, or the nightmare's would come back. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep," Hermione whispered. Malfoy smiled at her, and pulled his blanket over him.

"Thank you," he said to her for the fourth time in two days. He closed his eyes and attempted to reach sleep's dark shores. Hermione extinguished the light from her wand and remained still in her chair, gazing at the boy in front of her, trying to understand him.

* * *

"Oi, what the hell did you do to her?!"

Hermione's head snapped up painfully. Her eyes forced themselves open. Through her bleary eyes, she could see that Ron was in her room. In her room? No, this was the attic. _I must have fallen asleep on the chair… _Sure enough, Hermione saw that her legs were tightly curled underneath her and she was indeed reposing on a chair. She saw Ron's furious face and then she saw him pull Malfoy's blanket off him.

"Ron, what're you doing?" she asked, her words slurring.

"Hermione, thank God, you're alright!" Ron exclaimed, approaching her. Hermione could see that Harry was right behind him.

"Why wouldn't I be? What, did you think that Malfoy had killed me or something?"

"What would I do to her, Weasley?" a voice demanded. "What would I gain from hurting her in any way?" Hermione turned to face Malfoy.

"'Morning," she greeted him, blinking slowly and lowering her legs to the ground. She winced as she did so, as they were cramped from being folded under her all night.

"'Morning," Malfoy responded, though he seemed rather preoccupied.

"There's no need to be so hostile, Ron," Hermione said crossly, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I went into your room and you weren't there, and I panicked and—"

"Sorry 'bout that, Hermione. Ron was just being paranoid," Harry finished for him, nudging Ron's shoulder. "Breakfast, Hermione?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll be down in a second," Hermione said, getting off her chair and stretching. She left to get dressed, but just as she opened the door, she could have sworn she heard Ron asking Harry, "What do you reckon she was doing up here, Harry?" Hermione shook her head. Ron would always be suspicious, and especially because of the locket… Hermione remembered the night they fell asleep holding hands and smiled. Perhaps after this whole bloody mess was over, she'd have some time to go back to him.

Hermione got dressed quickly and went downstairs to join the other for breakfast.

"'Morning, Remus, Kingsley," she greeted, nodding at both of them.

"'Morning, Hermione."

"Sleep well?" Remus asked her.

Hermione considered his question. She hadn't slept well, physically, but she thought that perhaps comforting someone was worth sacrificing an hour of sleep. "I woke up in the middle of the night, but I got back to sleep quickly," she said.

As soon as she sat down, Remus got to business.

"So, I think the best way to approach this is simply verateserum, as we discussed yesterday. What do you think Kingsly?" Remus asked.

Kingsley nodded slowly. "He'll trust us, which is crucial, and it'd be hard for him to find a way to hide the truth."

"And we'll give him back his wand after we've judged him not to be a threat?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Kingsly said, his voice grave.

"Hermione, I think it's you that should do the majority of the questioning," Remus said.

"Me?!" Hermione squeaked, surprised. "Why me?"

"I would have thought it obvious; Mister Malfoy clearly trusts you the most out of any of us, so I see it fit that—"

"But- but… Last night I told him that it wasn't me that he had to convince and—"

"You were with him last night?" a voice asked sharply. It was Ron. _Who else? _Hermione thought.

"No, of course not, he just _dragged _me to his room and gave me a chair to sleep on," Hermione snapped, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "Yes, I was with him last night! He was having a nightmare, and I was trying to comfort him—"

"Even more reason for you to question him," Remus pointed out.

Hermione looked around wildly. "But what if I'm wrong, and he's actually not to be trusted?!" she cried.

"I think we all trust you, so there should be no reason that you shouldn't do this. I agree with Remus," Harry said quietly.

"Kingsley," Hermione said, turning towards him. "Tell them I can't do this; what if I judge wrongly?"

"Hermione, take a moment and think," Kingsley said. Hermione found his deep voice to be oddly comforting. She inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly.

"Alright, I'll do it," she said. Remus smiled. Hermione, however, was confused. She wasn't sure why she felt so uncomfortable about the situation; it should have been no different if anyone else was to be questioned. She rationalized that it was only because she felt like she knew Malfoy, if only a little better than before.

Within a few moments, Malfoy came down the stairs. He said his polite hellos to everyone in the room and ate quietly. After he was done, Remus explained how he would be questioned. Malfoy listened attentively, but he had a request to make after Remus was finished.

"I agree to all your terms, but only if I am allowed to look into the mind of the person who questions me."

Hermione gasped. Why would he— But she stopped herself in mid-thought; he would want to know that no one was planning to use him. It made sense, but it still didn't make her comfortable with the situation.

"Hermione, do you agree to Malfoy's terms?" Remus asked mildly. Malfoy turned towards her, his eyes wide. He hadn't known that Hermione was the one who was going to be asking the questions.

"Yes," Hermione said, taking in a shaky breath. She had never had her mind searched, and from what Harry had described, it didn't seem like a very pleasant experience. But then again, if they could get a former Death Eater on their side, it would be worth a little discomfort. Remus handed her the small tube of verateserum.

"Shall we?" Hermione asked, gesturing towards the stairs. "We'll do it in your room."

Malfoy got up without a word and followed Hermione up to the attic. Upon her arrival, Hermione opened a window and set up two chairs across from each other. Malfoy sat in one, and Hermione sat in the other.

"Drink this," Hermione said, handing him the verateserum.

Malfoy eyed the contents of the tube before swallowing it in one gulp. His eyes became unfocused for a minute, but then the haze cleared.

"Can you hear me?" Hermione asked him speaking slowly and clearly.

"Yes."

"Are you Draco Black Malfoy, son of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

_Well, I know he is who he says he is… _Hermione thought nervously. She knew she could take as much time as she needed, but she honestly did not know where to go with her questions. Should she ask the hard ones first while she was sure that the potion was in effect, or should she wait a few minutes before asking the hard ones? _The hard ones first, I suppose, _she thought. _Then I'll be sure of getting a truthful answer…_

"Do you believe that all Mudbloods and Muggles should be exterminated from this world?"

"No." Hermione heaved a sigh of relief.

"Do you believe that some Mudbloods and Muggles should be killed?"

"Yes." Hermione's anxiousness came back again.

"Why do you think these people should be killed?"

"It is because they have done horrible things and deserve to die." Hermione shivered. The way Malfoy was speaking… It was similar to Voldemort.

"Why do they deserve to die?"

"Because they've done terrible things; killed people."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that they don't possess magical powers?"

"No." Another wave of relief swept over Hermione. So he had a superiority complex; it didn't necessarily make him treacherous. He had passed the first question.

"Are you loyal to the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked, thinking that the Death Eater's name for their master would keep Malfoy's answer true.

"No. Not anymore."

"What caused you to change your mind?"

"A Mudblood saved me from Azkaban. I can't keep believing that all Mudbloods are cold-hearted or evil." Though she knew she shouldn't, Hermione felt flattered that Malfoy thought her kind. She had been trying to get him to trust her. _So Remus's plan did work… _Hermione thought.

The interrogation continued easily, Hermione asking her questions and Malfoy giving her true answers. He passed almost every question save the last.

"Will you be loyal to the Order of the Phoenix and help us in our task to destroy the Dark Lord?"

"I don't know."

As much as Hermione poked and prodded, Malfoy would not— or could not elaborate. His answer, though not a definite fail, was not necessarily acceptable either. Hermione thought for a moment. _He's been the servant of Voldemort for the past year; obviously it would be difficult for him to turn away. _Hermione decided to let it go. She was almost positive that he would choose one side or the other within a few days. She had decided to trust him. Just as she came to her decision, Malfoy came round.

"So?" he asked.

"I think you can be trusted," Hermione said, grinning.

Malfoy made no signs of emotion at the news. All he said was, "and now it's my turn?"

"Yes," Hermione said, bracing herself. She got his wand from the back pocket of her jeans and handed it to him.. "Go ahead. I am ready." She barely had time to take a breath before Malfoy shot the spell at her.

"_Legilimens,"_ Malfoy hissed.

Hermione offered no resistance to his spell at first, thinking that it would over quicker that way. _She was six and her mother was reprimanding her about wandering off… She was seven and she had accidentally caused it to snow inside for a moment… She was eleven and she had just received her letter inviting her to Hogwarts; she was ecstatic… She was in her first year at Hogwarts and Harry and Ron had just saved her from the troll… She was in her fifth year and she was pulling Ron away from Harry because he was so clearly trying to ask Cho Chang out on a date…_ Then the memories got personal. _She was in her sixth year, sitting on the window seat in her room, crying herself to sleep because she had just seen Ron snogging Lavender… _Hermione started to resist, only now thinking about the fact that there were some thoughts that she did not want Malfoy seeing. _It was only a few months ago; she Harry and Ron had just escaped from some Death Eaters and Ron insisted that she slept on the couch; they fell asleep with their fingers entwined…_ Hermione was struggling; she was trying to rid the intruder from her mind. _She and Ron were alone, and she had a strange urge to kiss him… _Hermione was about to raise her wand and cast a spell when Malfoy backed away from her personal thoughts and finally found the ones he had been looking for. The ones about him. _The entire conversation from the night before she freed Malfoy played in Hermione's head… The night she got him out of Azkaban… The following days… Her thoughts during their conversations; she didn't hate him, only thought him a coward and pitied him… And… _The probe ended unexpectedly. Hermione hadn't realized at the time, but her eyes were closed in concentration. She forced them open

"You weren't meant to see all of that," she said quickly.

"Just curious," Malfoy drawled. Yet again, Hermione could see the spark of arrogance that she remembered from only a year ago.

"I didn't use my opportunity to get irrelevant information out of you!"

"I would hardly call your thoughts about me 'irrelevant', Granger."

"Did I pass the test?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"I suppose so…" mused Malfoy.

"You're so power-hungry…" Hermione muttered, getting up and walking towards the door. "You stay here," she told Malfoy, without looking back. She slammed the door behind her and made her way to the kitchen where everyone was waiting for her verdict. _He had no right to do that! Lousy moron, I cannot believe him_! she fumed. She had run out of words to call Malfoy by the time she reached the kitchen.

"Well? It's been an hour," Harry said upon her arrival.

"I think he is to be trusted," Hermione said, though she sounded slightly uncertain.

"You think?" Remus asked her, a worried look on his face.

"I dunno, it's just that… When he searched my mind, he sort of…" Hermione squired. "He looked at some personal stuff is all," she sighed. "It doesn't matter in any case, it doesn't make him less trustworthy, so yes. Malfoy is to be trusted."

"Well then," Remus said, "I think the first thing you should do is ask him to teach you how to withstand Occlumency."

"So you're going to decide to trust him just like that?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, we all trust your judgment, so yes. We trust him," Kingsley said patiently.

"Alright," Hermione muttered. She knew she should lay her personal feelings aside and judge from there. "In that case, yes. I agree with you, Remus. That's the first thing we should do, along with trying to figure out how to destroy the locket." She was about to ask Harry a question, but thought better of it; she knew the answer would be no. But she couldn't help but wonder; didn't Malfoy have the right to know that they were searching and trying to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes? Perhaps he did… But she couldn't see herself telling him until he showed himself to have more self-restraint than he had shown in the attic. _Only curious? _Hermione thought, rolling her eyes.

* * *

**A/N How was the dialogue? Cardboard like? Mediocre? Absolute crap? Decent? Let me know in a review! Danke! Bisous ~ the shattered star **


	5. Disagreement

**A/N New chapter! The dramione action will really start to pick up after this, so no worries! Sorry for the slight delay. :D**

**Disclaimer: JKR's, not mine.**

**

* * *

**_Chapter 4_

Disagreement

* * *

"Granger, you don't want me in your mind!" Malfoy cried, trying to get Hermione to resist his spell. And again she succumbed. The memories flashed through her mind again, irrelevant, yet she still didn't want Malfoy privy to them. She couldn't muster the strength to cast another shield charm, so she sat in her chair and waited for Malfoy to withdraw from her mind.

He finally lifted the spell. "No, Malfoy, I don't want you in my mind. But until you give me more specific instructions, I can't do anything about it," Hermione said thorough gritted teeth. Malfoy pulled up a chair.

"It's not easy to put in words," he said. "It's almost as if… Look, pretend… Pretend I'm pushing you and you're trying to push me back."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything. She sighed, telling herself that it was only an example, and Malfoy was trying to help. "Alright, let's try again," Hermione groaned.

"_Legilimens!"_ Hermione could feel the memories starting to swirl in her head, but this time, Malfoy was getting too personal. He was shifting through her memories of Ron and memories of her parents. He was treading on dangerous territory, and Hermione would not let him. Her every thought lay bare at his feet unless she did something about it. A strength rose within her, and somehow she found that she was ridding Malfoy from her mind. Within moments, he was gone.

"Like that?" Hermione asked, smiling.

"Yes," Malfoy said, briefly returning her smile. "However, if the only way you can oust me is if I have to look into your more intimate memories… Well, that's a bit of a weakness. One more time then?" Hermione only nodded.

"_Legilimens!" _This time he was going too quickly; Hermione could barely tell what memories he was looking at. She sensed something about— NO! Not that, anything but that! He couldn't learn about the Horcruxes! Hermione did the same thing she had done moments earlier, which she could only describe as a _pushing_ movement, though in truth she didn't know what exactly she was doing. She did it again, though this time she found that she had to push harder. When he was finally gone, Hermione found herself breathing heavily.

"Good, but—"

"Malfoy, what did you see?" she demanded.

"There's no need to snap—"

"Just tell me what you saw!" Hermione almost shrieked. Malfoy's lip curled.

"Horcruxes. I suspected as much, though; he was always giving hints about hiding his soul." Malfoy replied curtly. Hermione hung her head.

_I can't believe this, how could I have been so stupid?!_ she thought.

"I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about," Malfoy stated.

"You won't?" Hermione looked up hopefully.

"I don't see why anyone needs to know about it. And it's not as if I'll go blabbing to one of my Death Eater friends," he said sourly. "I was under the impression that you trusted me, Granger," he spat.

"I do, it's just… Listen, not even Remus or Kingsley knows about it, and Harry would probably murder me if he found out that you knew."

"I want to help," Malfoy blurted out.

"You— what?" Only a few days ago he was unsure as to whether or not he wanted to help the Order. No he wanted to help them kill Voldemort? Malfoy only looked at her. "But… Are you sure?"

"Yes. This man— if he can be called that," Malfoy scoffed, "threw me in a cell to rot because I couldn't kill someone. Yes, I want to help. But…"

"But?" Hermione asked, not wanting to know what he was going to add.

"It's just… Would you do it? If you didn't have to kill someone, I mean. Or even if it was someone you knew deserved to die… Would you take the opportunity to live forever?"

"Would I take it? No… No, I don't think I would."

"I would. Immortality. Never having to worry about the end, just… living for the sake of living."

"Yes, but, I think it'd be lonely. If you didn't have anyone to share it with. And terrible; everyone you once knew would eventually die.

"Unless they were immortal as well," Malfoy pointed out.

"I suppose," Hermione mused, "but just… Living forever? Doesn't that effectively kill life? With no death, no one would feel like they had to do anything. After all, they'd have eternity to do whatever it is they wanted to do."

"And what about those who are cheated out of life?" Malfoy asked roughly.

"I won't say that it's fair…" Hermione said slowly, "but it's just—"

"Don't say that it's just how life works," Malfoy said, his voice still rough.

Just as Hermione was about to respond, Ron barged into the room.

"Yes?" Hermione asked, looking up at him.

"Remus and Kingsley are leaving; I just thought you'd want to say goodbye," he said bluntly.

Both Hermione and Malfoy got up and followed Ron downstairs.

"Remus!" Hermione called just as he was stepping out the door. "Give Tonks my best," she said, smiling.

"I will," Remus said, returning her smile.

"Er, Professor?" someone called. Remus turned around again. He found the voice to be Malfoy's. "I wanted to say thank you. Granger told me whose idea my escape was."

"You're welcome, Draco," Remus responded, smiling. With that, he stepped out of the door with Kingsley.

After a prolonged silence, Hermione said, "well then…"

"Have you finished with her, Malfoy?" Ron asked, a bit of fire in his voice.

"I think we should be done for the day. You can go next," Malfoy said, his tone civil.

"Oh Ron, before you go, it's my turn to carry the locket," Hermione said, her hand outstretched. Ron gave her a look that clearly said "why are mentioning this in front of Malfoy?!" but she ignored it, closing her fingers around the locket. She exchanged a glance with Malfoy, and she was fairly certain he understood what the locket was.

* * *

"Granger?" For the second time in so many days Hermione's head snapped up painfully, rousing her from her sleep. She found herself to be sitting on the window seat in her room, wrapped in a blanket in front of a wide open window.

"Wha—" she broke off into a yawn that made her jaw crack. "What is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's near noon, I was looking for you so you could learn some more Occlumency," Malfoy said rather awkwardly.

"Alright," Hermione said, yawning again. "I'll be right there." Malfoy retreated from her room. Hermione looked down and realized that she was holding one of the many books on Horcruxes she had gotten from Hogwarts. She felt a pang of homesickness for the old castle in which she had spent so much of her time. She missed the enormous library filled with books that weren't purely about pure-blooded genealogy, and simply having other girls to talk to; there was a certain lack of empathy at Number 12 Grimmauld place.

She brushed her teeth and got dressed quickly, running to the kitchen. She greeted Harry and Ron briefly in the kitchen before she grabbed something to eat and hurried back up to the attic.

"I'm sorry; I was up late reading," she said to Malfoy briskly before taking her usual seat across from him.

"Right. Shall we?" Hermione nodded and they begun.

This time it was easier for Hermione, no doubt because of all the practice she had had the day before. She smiled with relief after the first few times she managed to oust him, but then she started getting concerned. Malfoy kept making the spell more and more intense until Hermione fell to her knees in concentration. After that, Malfoy withdrew from her mind, letting her recover.

"Is that even close to what You-Know-Who can do?" Hermione asked helplessly.

"Not quite…" Malfoy admitted, though it sounded more like a scoff to Hermione. "It's been about an hour," he said, "so we can stop now if you like. Or I could teach you something else."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I can teach you how to do the spell, if you like."

Hermione was a little surprised at his offer; he hadn't offered Ron or Harry the chance, but she took it readily. "Er, yeah," she said.

"'Right then…" Malfoy said, thinking. Hermione wondered if the spell was incredibly complex. She hoped it wasn't like the Patronus charm which she could hardly ever get right on the first try. "You know the incantation, it's just the wand movement you don't know. Most people assume that _Legilimens _is a spell, but it's actually a hex; see you move your wand like this." Malfoy demonstrated, jabbing his wand towards Hermione. Hermione copied his movements and whispered _"Legilimens,"_ though nothing happened. "That's the easy part," Malfoy said, though he looked like he was resisting the urge to laugh.

"I'm assuming there is some sort of thought involved?" Hermione inquired.

Malfoy nodded. "While doing the movement and saying the incantation you have to _want _to get into the person's mind, you understand?" he asked. "You have to _want _to know what I'm thinking and my past thoughts."

Hermione smirked. _I can do that, _she thought.

Malfoy caught her smirk and returned it. "It's not as easy as you might think," he said quietly, though his tone was almost ominous to Hermione's ears. "But you may try," he said, inclining his head towards her.

_I _want _to see what he's thinking, _Hermione thought. _If only for revenge for how he looked into my private memories… _

Hermione concentrated, readied her wand and whispered _"Legilimens!" _To her surprise, the spell— rather, the hex— worked. She found that she was able to look into Malfoy's mind. However, her attack was not strong enough, and she found herself pushed out of his thoughts just as she had entered them. The only thing she managed to catch was a glimpse of a small blond boy riding on a toy broomstick.

"I did it!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but I was able to resist you quite easily. Your hex wasn't strong enough."

"I gathered as much," Hermione said, her voice sour.

"Try again."

Hermione tried again, and this time she was able to stay in Malfoy's mind for a bit longer, but again, she found herself thrown out of his mind again.

"Shall we try this again tomorrow?" Malfoy asked. Hermione was about to protest before she considered that Malfoy himself might be tired.

Hermione nodded. "Have you seen the house yet?" she asked him. He shook his head. "Would you like— Should I— do you want me to show you?" Hermione wasn't sure why she was lost for words, but she blamed it on the fact that her mind was a little tired from all the hexes she had been put under.

"Er, sure," Malfoy said, shrugging slightly. Hermione bounded off her chair and opened the door of the attic, motioning for him to follow her.

She showed him her room and Harry and Ron's room, the kitchen, the parlour, the assortment of rooms that they didn't use, and finally they came along to the tapestry with the Black family tree on it.

"Oh look, there you are," Hermione said, pointing at his name. Malfoy nodded rather robotically, and then rolled his eyes. "What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing, it's just… Under normal circumstances I would feel pride at being on this tapestry, but now…" he trailed off. Hermione kept quiet. She hadn't expected Malfoy to lose his pride of all things; she remembered Malfoy as incredibly arrogant. What had happened to him? _Well, being stuck in prison for three months doesn't help, I suppose, _she thought. "But perhaps I'm just being over sentimental," Malfoy muttered.

"No, no of course you're not!" Hermione exclaimed, too shocked to keep quiet. "You were in prison for three months, you were traumatized!"

"But I should have been stronger than that! I should have been able to cope!" Malfoy spat.

"Malfoy, it's a prison designed to make you miserable and hopeless; how is anyone meant to survive that?"

"Regardless, I should have tried harder, I should have been able to deal with the situation—"

"What 'situation?' You were in prison, for Merlin's sake! What were you going to do, plan an escape?" Hermione's emotions were out of her control at this point. She didn't know what she was saying, but she would not let this boy, this boy whom she remembered to be so damn _arrogant_, win. He was not going to blame this on himself.

"Perhaps I should have! Perhaps I should have rejected your offer and just died in that cell! At least then I wouldn't feel so—" Malfoy broke off suddenly.

"Feel so what, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her voice was raised.

"It doesn't matter, Granger. That's the point, _it doesn't matter,"_ Malfoy said bitterly. Hermione's temper exploded and she left the room before she threw something at Malfoy's head.

She slammed the door to her room closed and opened the window wide. She grabbed a small quilt and wrapped it around herself, curling up on the window seat. This was her favourite spot in the whole manor because it was the one place through which one could not see the Death Eaters waiting outside. Through the window, one could see the small interior courtyard of the building. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was better than seeing Death Eaters.

Hermione couldn't deal with Malfoy. She had been the only one who had believed in him, and yet she could barely put up with him. She hated how he hid his emotions behind a wall. She had been so close to penetrating that wall, and then he had closed up again. She got up and grabbed the book on Horcruxes off her unmade bed and began to read.

* * *

Hermione jumped when she heard someone enter her room. She turned her head to find Harry.

"Hermione, I think we should talk."

"About?" Hermione asked.

Harry moved to the bed and sat down across from Hermione. "The dilluminator is doing something strange, and Ron reckons that we should follow it."

"What's it doing?"

"It's glowing blue, and Ron claims that it feels like it's _pulling _him towards something," Harry said, though he looked slightly unbelieving.

"Well then we should follow it!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping off her window seat. "Dumbledore gave it to Ron, so it must mean something. Give me five minutes and I'll be—"

"Wait, Hermione," Harry said gently. "I was thinking… Maybe you should stay behind and keep an eye on Malfoy."

"Keep an eye on him?!" Hermione exploded. "Harry, we trust him!"

"Well… I know, but it's just that I've been around him for too long; I know him too well!"

"You know him too well," Hermione stated, sarcasm dripping from her words. "I've seen his thoughts, Harry. I somehow doubt that you know him better than I."

"Hermione, listen. Ron and I will track down whatever it is that the dilluminator is telling us, and then we'll come back. While we're gone, you can do some more research and figure out where the next Horcrux is."

"We were meant to work together, Harry," Hermione snapped. "'Together' includes me."

"But Hermione, we don't even know if this will lead us anywhere! Come, you must see that this is for the best."

Hermione was silent for a moment. She could see it from Harry's point of view, but she still wanted to go with him. In the end she consented; it was true that they still didn't know where three of the Horcruxes were. "Fine!" she burst out. "But I still don't like it."

A grin appeared on Harry's face. "Thanks, Hermione," he said, hugging her tightly. Hermione only pursed her lips.

* * *

**A/N Was it enjoyable? How was the scene with the tapestry? Any good? Leave a review! Danke. Bisous ~ the shattered star**


	6. Hesitation

**A/N A new chapter arrives! I hope you enjoy it. Leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: JKR's, not mine.**

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_Chapter 5_

Hesitation

* * *

Hermione awoke to find that Harry and Ron had already left. She frowned as she looked into their room; the beds unmade, papers scattered throughout the room and the chess pieces lying everywhere made it seem like very clumsy giants had inhabited the room instead of Harry and Ron. Hermione sighed. She left the room and quietly pulled the door closed behind her. _I don't suppose they could have bothered to say good-bye, _she huffed, crossing her arms as she made her way down to the kitchen.

Hermione hummed as she walked through the dusty manor. She eyed the portraits on the walls, smiling when she noticed they were still asleep. Hermione thought about where Ron and Harry could be going; perhaps the dilluminator would lead them to an object that would help them destroy the locket. Hermione supposed that that would be a best case scenario and quite unlikely, but she still hoped. Perhaps it would lead them to another Horcrux. But Hermione doubted it, for if it did, why wouldn't it have started glowing earlier?

Hermione was so concentrated with her thoughts she didn't realize that there was someone in the kitchen. She screamed when she saw him, her hand moving immediately to her wand.

"Granger, it's only me!" a voice cried out. Hermione was breathing heavily and her wand was withdrawn. She saw Malfoy's face and closed her eyes for a moment. Malfoy reached over and gently lowered her arm. "Someone's a bit on edge," he said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Hermione muttered, placing her wand back in her pocket. She went over to the counter and fixed herself some toast and eggs before sitting across from Malfoy. However, she was determined not to say anything.

"You're awfully quiet this morning," Malfoy pointed out. Hermione only scowled at him. "What are you thinking about now?" Malfoy asked after another prolonged silence.

"Why don't you just invade my mind and find out?" Hermione asked testily. When she said the words, she didn't expect Malfoy to take them seriously, so she was surprised when she felt the familiar sensation of her mind being prodded again. _Why can't he brave his emotions? They're nothing to be ashamed of! He just seems like even more of a coward now. And why did Harry and Ron have to leave? I just know something will go wrong; we didn't think this out! And— _

"MALFOY!" Hermione shrieked.

"Yes?" Malfoy asked calmly.

"You had no right to do that, absolutely no right!" she shouted, now standing up. "I swear, Malfoy, you do that again and I'll kill you," she spat, venom in her voice. She picked up her last piece of toast and left Malfoy alone in the kitchen.

Hermione ranted silently while she walked back to her room. _I can't _believe _him; arrogant bastard thinks he can get away with anything! Well, he can't, and I really will kill him if he tries that again, _she fumed. She immediately regretted the thought, but her emotions still ran high. By the time she got back to her room, she banged the door shut and curled up again on her window seat, opening the window wide.

Hermione breathed in the cold air, its scent calming her. She longed to be outside, but this was the closest she could get for the moment. She sighed and bit her lip. _Perhaps he was only trying to be funny, _she thought. In the mean time, she decided to read the book Dumbledore had left her. It would clear her mind, and, hopefully, give her some time to think.

* * *

The door to Hermione's room banged open and Hermione leapt up from her seat. "It's only me," Malfoy muttered.

"You could've knocked," Hermione replied stiffly.

"Sorry."

"'T's alright." Hermione sat down again.

"I'm sorry."

"What about?"

"For hiding from my emotions, and not being open, and that I seem like a coward and that Potter and Weasley left you." Hermione scowled at this.

"You know, there's a reason sometimes people don't voice their thoughts," she said sardonically.

"You know, most people tell other people when something's bothering them," Malfoy retorted. Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't've been so hostile."

"'T's alright." A small smile appeared on Hermione's face.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, placing a bookmark in her book before closing it.

"Occlumency?" Hermione pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"We'll do it in your room today," Malfoy said, conjuring a chair across from the window. He sat down while Hermione arranged herself into a more comfortable position.

"I'm ready," she said, bracing herself.

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe today we could work on your mastering the hex."

"Ah, alright; even better," Hermione said, a grin appearing on her face. It was Malfoy turn to scowl. Hermione prepared herself and then cast the hex, getting it right the first time. _He was three and his mother was whacking him with his father's broomstick… He was five and his father was yelling at him for breaking another crystal vase… He was eleven and he had just gotten his acceptance letter to Hogwarts; glee ensued… He was thirteen and—_ The memories stopped abruptly. Hermione didn't realize that she was panting.

"I did it!" she gasped. Malfoy's smile seemed slightly twisted.

"Yes I suppose so… I understand why you don't want me looking into your memories now," he mused. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. She was slightly puzzled, as she hadn't yet looked at anything personal, but she supposed certain memories could be more important to someone than one could tell.

"Again?" Malfoy asked. Hermione quickly banished her thoughts and starting preparing herself to cast the hex again.

* * *

"Granger, we've been at it for hours," Malfoy said. If Hermione didn't know better, she could have sworn that Malfoy was groaning.

"No!" she gasped melodramatically. "Is it possible that the all powerful Draco Malfoy is getting _tired?_"

"You're funny, you are," Malfoy said, another twisted smile playing on his lips. "I was only concerned for your mental health, of course."

"Oh, of course," Hermione repeated, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, we may stop now," she affirmed getting off her window seat and stretching. She was getting a bit cold so she closed the window before turning back to Malfoy. "So… What shall we do now?"

"I was wondering…" Malfoy started, though he seemed a bit hesitant. "I've seen Potter and Weasley playing Wizard's Chess before… Do you know how to play?"

"I do, but I never really fancied it."

"In lack of anything better to do, shall we play a round?" Hermione was about to say no, but she could see Malfoy's eyes were sparkling.

"Why not?" she asked, getting up. She told Malfoy to wait while she fetched Ron's chess set.

Hermione was surprised at how quickly time passed while she played chess with Malfoy. She never enjoyed the sport as much as she did when she played it with him; he seemed to be so intense at certain moments, but then he would just laugh and all the tension would die, causing Hermione to laugh along with him. She had never seen this side of him; a side that enjoyed fun, that knew how to have fun.

After eleven losses and two draws, Hermione got hungry. "Do you mind if we take a break and come back to this later?" she asked, gesturing at the chess board.

"Of course," Malfoy said, inclining his head.

As Hermione headed to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat, she found herself thinking _this might not be that bad after all…_

_

* * *

_"We have run out of food," Hermione declared, closing the cupboard with a bang. It had been ten days since Harry and Ron had left and she was starting to get concerned. No owls had come, and she had commenced fearing the worst.

"What do you mean? I just saw the cupboard…" Malfoy's voice trailed off as he looked into the cupboard. "Ah. Well, what do you usually do when you run out of food?"

"I stop by a Muggle store and get some," Hermione said, her eyes downcast. "But Harry and Ron took the invisibility cloak, so I can't leave…"

"Why don't we just cast disillusionment charms on ourselves and—"

"There is no 'we', Malfoy," Hermione said gently.

"But—"

"I'm sorry, I can't risk having you seen."

"But the charm—"

Hermione silenced him by raising her eyebrows. Malfoy huffed. "Fine!" he said. Hermione smiled at her triumph. "You'll be all right?" he blurted out.

Hermione raised one eyebrow delicately. "Draco Malfoy, concerned for my well being?" she scoffed. Malfoy scowled.

"I was only asking…" he muttered while Hermione laughed.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Anything in particular you want?"

"Some green apples would be nice," Malfoy admitted.

Hermione was surprised, but she didn't show it. "All right. I'll be off then," she said, grabbing her cloak while tapping herself hard on her head with her wand. She blended in with the walls and floor, and after making sure that Malfoy couldn't see her, she left.

Hermione breathed in the outside air, savoring it. She Apparated quickly, not being comfortable with so many Death Eaters around. She found the store she normally visited quite easily and slipped inside.

Hermione tried to be as quick as she could, but she found herself wanting to linger. She missed the feel of a cart in her hands and the calming beeps that the checkout counters made every so often. _Well, _she reasoned, _I have been stuck inside Grimmauld place for a few weeks now… _Hermione bought everything she thought she could safely shrink and place in her pocket and left the store, a green apple in her hand.

Hermione Disapparated with a loud _crack!_ and she landed perfectly on the front step. Just as she was reaching for her keys she saw the green apple in her hand. And the thought hit her, like a thunderclap. She had forgotten to cast the Disillusionment charm on the apple. The Death Eaters surrounding her would see a green apple floating in the middle of nowhere. She fumbled for her keys, but as she did so, she felt something warm trickling down her neck. She heard the cruel voice of a Death Eater, then felt her arm being wrenched. She resisted who ever it was that was pulling her, but he was too strong; her arm exploded into pure pain and she fell off the step.

"What have we here?" a leering voice asked. It pinned Hermione's arms behind her. She struggled wildly, trying to break free. "No, now we can't have that, can we?" the voice said mockingly. Hermione stifled a cry as she was punched in the stomach. She could barely feel her arm at this point.

"No, no, no…" she muttered. She couldn't fall into the hands of the Death Eaters! Not now! They would torture her, and get information about the Horcruxes and Malfoy out of her! Someone punched her stomach again and she doubled over, retching.

Suddenly, she faintly heard someone cast the stunning hex. The Death Eater's arms went slack and Hermione broke free of his grasp. She was feeling slightly dizzy, and her arm no longer felt like part of her body, but she knew if she could just get back in the house she would be all right.

Hermione wasn't completely aware of what happened next; she heard the same discombobulated voice stun most of the other Death Eaters around her before laying an invisible arm about her waist to guide her back to the house. Hermione rested her head against the person's chest, though she wasn't sure who he was. Had Harry and Ron finally come back? She intended to give them a long lecture if it was indeed them; what were they thinking, taking the invisibility cloak without thinking about it first?

Just as she thought she would collapse from the pain in her arm, Hermione saw the door to Number 12 Grimmauld Place open and the person's arms went under her legs. She closed her eyes in the person's arms, trying not to cry out for pain.

Hermione felt herself being laid down on her bed gently. The person removed his Disillusionment charm and Hermione finally realized that it was Malfoy. _No, of course not, _she scoffed, _why would Harry and Ron come back after almost two bloody weeks?_ Then pain was still pressing, and she hoped that Malfoy had remembered to lock the door. It didn't really matter, but it made her feel safer. She was about to ask him something, but found a cough to emerge from her throat instead.

She felt Malfoy hands, his blessedly cool hands, gently glide her bone back into its socket and she closed her eyes and finally blacked out.

* * *

Hermione awoke to find herself in her bed covered by a blanket. She could still feel the pain in her arm, but it was now much lessened, no doubt because Malfoy had put the bone back into place. Hermione turned her head to look up and found Malfoy looking worriedly down at her. His expression was so comical that she couldn't help but laugh.

"You should see your face right now, Malfoy," she said, a smile on her lips. Malfoy finally broke out into a smile.

"I am concerned for the well-being of a friend, is that so wrong?" he asked, inspecting his nails.

Hermione was surprised. "A friend?" she asked.

"Yes, a friend," Malfoy affirmed.

"Well, that _will _take some getting used to…" Hermione muttered. "And I suppose you know, friends normally call one another by their surnames?"

"I'd assume so."

"Well then, _Draco._"

"Yes, _Hermione_?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, trying to decide whether or not she liked Malfoy— rather, Draco, calling her by her surname.

"Thank you for saving me," she said thoughtfully. She hadn't considered it before, but now she realized that Draco saved her from people he knew. He probably went against everything he knew to save her. Draco only shrugged.

"I didn't see anyone else doing it," he said pointedly. Hermione only quirked her lips.

"In any case, thank you for saving my life."

"They wouldn't have killed you."

"Well then, thank you for saving my sanity," Hermione said, refusing to be bested.

"Touché," Draco murmured, narrowing his eyes. Hermione had a strange urge to reach up and brush the hair out of his eyes, but she quickly repressed the urge, blaming it on the sudden pain she felt around her middle. She looked down and saw nothing, but when she lifted up her shirt, she found an ugly bruise.

"Ugh. Well, isn't that pleasant?" she asked, pulling her shirt back down and looking away.

"Would you like me to—" Draco motioned with his wand. Hermione hesitated before she nodded. Draco briskly lifted up her shirt to perform a spell on the bruise. It quickly disappeared along with most of the pain.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." There as a small pause before Hermione said anything.

"I suppose this makes us even, then."

"I suppose so." Draco said, his voice emotionless.

"Draco… When you saw the tapestry downstairs and you turned away… What were you thinking about?"

Draco hesitated a moment before answering. "I just… I thought of you and how you saved me… And I felt horrible for hating you, and then I thought… this is all my parents' fault; if they hadn't joined the Death Eaters, I wouldn't be in this mess. If only they'd tried harder, you know?"

"So you think they were pressured to join the Death Eaters?"

Draco let out a short barking laugh. "There is no doubt. When your whole family has faithfully served the Dark Lord, you don't have a choice. I wouldn't have had a choice if you hadn't saved me." Draco went quiet. Hermione let the silence grow. She was surprised when Draco finally broke it. "What about your parents, Hermione? You never talk about them."

"They're… In Australia."

"In Australia, eh? And what, pray tell, are they doing there?" Draco asked in a jest.

"I wiped their memories and sent them there. I was— I was trying to get them as far away as I could and," here Hermione paused for breath, "and I did."

"I'm so sorry," Draco said, his eyes sad. "I didn't know."

"Of course not." Hermione said, though not unkindly. "But— you know what hurts most?"

"Tell me."

"I just feel like… I never really got to know them, you know? Like I was a part of their life, but they were never really a part of mine. Because i-it didn't m-matter how much I w-wanted it, they would always b-be different." Hermione was starting to tear up. "I could barely talk to them, and when I did, it was always about trivial things: 'oh, did you see the news today?' 'I can't believe how warm it is,' and I… You see, this is why I n—" Hermione completely lost control and the tears started pouring down her face.

"I'm sorry that you could never have a normal relationship with your parents," Draco whispered.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me," she said, awkwardly wiping her eyes. "Thank you, though," she said.

"That's what friends are for, no?"

"That's what friends are for," Hermione affirmed, laughing.

"All right… I should probably let you get some rest; they weren't particularly gentle with you," Draco said, getting up.

"I'll see you later then," Hermione said, smiling as he closed the door. Traces of the smile lingered on her lips as he left. Hermione wasn't quite sure what was happening, but whatever it was, she liked it.

* * *

"Get off her, you lout!" Hermione heard Draco being lifted off the floor. She heard a loud thump, as though someone had fallen on to the floor. She forced her eyes open to be greeted by the sight of an irate Ron.

"Leave Draco alone!" she cried, going over to him to make sure he was all right. _We must have fallen asleep playing chess again, _she thought, spotting the chess set and groaning. She crouched over him. "Draco?" she questioned.

"I'm fine," he spat towards Ron. Hermione still flinched.

"What were you doing?" Ron demanded, his eyes ablaze and his ears bright red.

"We fell asleep, Ronald!" Hermione shouted, trying to appease him. "Calm down! We just fell asleep."

Ron seemed to relax at this.

"Weasley, how _could _you think otherwise?" Draco drawled from the other side of the room. Hermione turned towards him, unused to his tone of voice.

"You listen—" Draco didn't even pause to hear Ron's words. He simply walked out of the room. There was a silence between Ron and Hermione.

"You're back then?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"What was all the shouting about?" Harry asked as he entered the room, completely oblivious to the events that had just taken place in the room.

"Nothing. Ronald's just being himself is all," Hermione said. A sudden fury had rushed through her; how dare he? How could he even think that she would… He clearly still didn't trust Draco. Hermione, feeling overwhelmed, marched out of the room in search of Draco, ignoring the protests she could hear behind her. And to think, she had been looking forward to their return…

* * *

**A/N Enjoyable? Is the relationship growing at a believable rate? As a treat, here's a deleted scene that didn't make it to the final cut of this chapter; it happened in between Hermione's getting injured and Harry and Ron's return. I hope you like it! Review! Danke. Bisous ~ the shattered star**

"_A car accident has just been reported… There are no reported survivors; a head on collision…" Hermione stared open mouthed at the car lying in front of her, both her parents inside it. Both dead. A cry of horror rose from her lips and she was crying. She had sent them to Australia to save them from Voldemort and instead they got his by a car? It wasn't fair; nothing was fair; it was all her fault. If only she'd—_

Hermione awoke screaming. She felt someone's hand on her arm, but it didn't help. She couldn't stop and the flashes kept coming; her mother with blood trickling down her lip. Her father with his skull broken. Someone held her close, pressing her mouth against his shirt. She finally gained enough clarity to see that she was screaming at nothing, and what she had seen had only been a nightmare. She started crying for the second time that day.

"You know, I rarely gave hugs," Draco said in an effort to make Hermione stop crying. She did, but only momentarily. "I suppose I did tell you that the next time you had a nightmare I would comfort you. Imagine that, all my debts have been paid in one day! Then again, you got me those green apples…" Hermione laughed aloud. Draco let her out of his embrace and looked her in the eye. "What did you see?" he asked.

"I dreamt… I dreamt that my parents died in a car crash."

"Car crash?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what a car is, because I know you do," Hermione said, though she was smiling weakly.

"It never happened, Hermione," Draco said firmly.

"Thank you for…" Hermione gestured with her hand. Draco only nodded, though his eyes were bright. "Would you mind…?" Draco shook his head, reclining on the chair next to the bed. Hermione shook her head gently and closed her eyes, still trying to understand how the tables had been turned so perfectly.


	7. Discord

**A/N I'm so so sorry! I was in the middle of a transatlantic move, so my writing has been very very scarce of late. I promise, delays this long will not happen again. Please review; I feel like this chapter was a little off; let me know!**

**Disclaimer: JKR's, not mine.  


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_Chapter 6_

Discord

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Hermione swore that she could kill Ron in that instant. How dare he? Since when was he so overprotective? She didn't understand what had come over him; and to think, she had thought that she loved him… She rolled her eyes at the thought, trying instead to look on the bright side. After cooling down and talking to Harry about what had happened, Hermione had gathered that the locket had been destroyed. Her eyes raked over the sword of Godric Gryffindor that was just lying in her room. Harry had asked her to look at it for any signs of enchantment, but Hermione didn't bother, knowing that the reason it had worked was because Harry had drenched it in Basilisk's blood.

Hermione pulled herself off her reclining position on her bed and moved over to her chair. She sat down and pulled out one of her many notebooks. She opened to a page marked with a red ribbon and crossed out "locket." She looked at the list which was written in her messy scrawl. The list still read "cup", "Ravenclaw" and "snake". Hermione felt a sense of pleasure when she crossed off the third item, but as she looked down the list, her feeling of despair returned. How were they possibly going to get to the last three when it had taken them so long to find just one? _At least now we have the sword, _she thought.

Hermione was interrupted by her thoughts by a loud bang. She turned to find Draco at the door. It had been three days since Ron had found them asleep in the parlour, and ever since, Draco had seemed more distant. He had closed up again, and Hermione was finding it increasingly difficult to talk with him. _It would probably be best if I could get him to talk to Ron and Harry more, _she thought whilst biting her lip.

"Don't you ever knock?" she asked, as she always did when Draco entered her room. "There's a reason I keep my door closed…"

Draco shrugged. "What are you doing?" he inquired, politely as always. Hermione sometimes wondered how he could bang open a door and then ask a perfectly civil question. A small smile appeared on her face.

"Nothing of importance, why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to have another go at chess, seeing as we haven't for a few days."

"And you can't find anything to do," Hermione added with humour.

"Of course I can," Draco said indignantly. "I'll just leave then, if you're busy…" he trailed off, heading back through the door.

Hermione let out a laugh before calling him back and agreeing to play a few rounds with him. She could swear she could see relief on his features. Hermione wondered what he did up in the attic, all alone, so she asked him as they made their way down to the parlour.

"I usually look around the house, actually," Draco said to Hermione's surprise. "I probably know it better than you do now," he said, gently nudging her shoulder. Hermione let out a laugh again. "I noticed Gryffindor's sword in your room," he said quietly. Hermione immediately sobered. "I take it the locket has been destroyed."

"Indeed," Hermione responded, though she was barely paying him any heed. She couldn't get rid of the prick of guilt she felt at betraying Harry's secret to Draco. Even though she knew that he had the right to know, she still felt as though some sort of privacy was being trespassed on. "Do you think I should tell Harry that you know?" she asked quickly.

"No! Of course not, why would you do that?" Draco asked.

"It just seems wrong to lie to him," Hermione said. "And that way he and Ron might not decide that they've got to go out on their own again," she muttered.

Draco shrugged. "If you feel you must, go ahead."

"I shall," Hermione mused out loud. "But first, we can have a few rounds of chess."

* * *

"You WHAT?" Ron fairly bellowed upon hearing the news.

"You heard me, Ron," Hermione said, raising an eyebrow at him. She had expected him to over-react.

"No, Hermione, seriously, I cannot _believe_ you! How could you tell him our only secret?"

"Ron, honestly, calm down," Hermione said dismissively. Apparently, Ron could not bring himself to calm down.

"I won't calm down," he snapped, pushing himself up and out of his chair. "And I won't shut up, and I won't listen to you anymore!" he cried.

"Ron, now you're just sounding like a child—"

"No. In fact," Ron paused as he struggled to find the words. "I'm leaving unless you wipe his mind clear of what you told him."

"Ron, surely you can't be serious," Hermione started, laughing. Her eyes hardened as he looked at her. "I won't. I can't ensure that only those memories will be erased, and, above all, I trust him, Ron, which is something you could try to do!"

"I'm dead serious. I'm walking out that door unless you do it."

Hermione and Ron stared at each other, apparently unaware that both Draco and Harry were in the room. The loud silence lasted much too long for anyone's liking; five minutes passed, then ten.

Ron shuffled his feet abruptly and headed towards the door. "Ron, you can't do this!" Hermione cried out, though her words sounded shrill to her ears.

Ron turned his face towards her. "Watch me," he snarled. He tapped his wand on his head and left, slamming the door behind him. Hermione stared at the door for a minute before running at it and thrusting it open.

"Ron, come back!" she screamed. The tears had not started yet. "Ron, I'm sorry, please, come back!" She had completely forgotten about the Death Eaters that were waiting just outside the door. A strong arm pulled her back inside and slammed the door shut before a skeletal hand could reach the door knob.

The tears started. Hermione started to shudder in the person's arms. She turned around and came face to face with Harry. "Harry, he left," she whispered. She said it again and again, like a spell until the tears made her words blur into one long string of nothing. She could have sworn she saw a tear escape Harry's eye.

She didn't know how much time had passed, and she didn't care. She opened the door again, calling out Ron's name to the wind. And to the Death Eaters. This time, the Death Eater got close enough to touch her face before the hand pulled her back inside. She could still smell the Death Eaters' breath on her face. She had seen his vicious smile.

"No, NO!" she cried as she thrashed in Harry's arms. "You have to let me go get him!" She couldn't bear it, the thought of him fighting Death Eaters on his own.

"Hermione, where would you go?" Harry whispered, trying to calm her. She had become almost hysterical within a matter of minutes. Hermione couldn't bear it and Harry's arms were so _tight! _She kicked his leg sharply and he let out a cry of pain and his arms loosened. Hermione made a bolt for the door a third time.

"Hermione, you're not going to open that door again." Hermione looked up expecting to see Harry. The blond hair and grey eyes seemed out of place.

"No, Draco, move."

"Think about this rationally!"

"I don't want to!" Hermione made to push him away, but before she could, she felt a sharp pressure form all about her, and as much as she tried, the only thing she could move was her head.

"Stop it, Hermione. You're better than he is."

"I don't bloody care," Hermione intoned, but her voice had changed drastically. Instead of hysteria, her voice had a hint of steel behind it. "You will not cast spells on me, Malfoy. Ron was right, he always was. I should have left you to rot in Azkaban."

The tone of Hermione's voice was enough to scare Malfoy into removing the spell. Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs, leaving two shocked wizards in her wake.

* * *

Draco was trying to keep his thoughts to a minimum as he headed towards Hermione's room. He didn't want to think about what he'd just done; casting a spell on her? Why couldn't he just talk to her?

_But I was only trying to make her see reason! I was only trying to prevent her from getting killed! _a small voice protested in Draco's mind. But Draco knew something was wrong. He had crossed an invisible line, and he wasn't sure if Hermione would let him back on the other side. At least, not immediately. He couldn't say he blamed her either.

He started having second thoughts as soon as he turned the door knob. He should've just left at that moment, but for some reason, he felt like there was an invisible force pulling him inside.

"Hermione," he blurted out as soon as he entered the room. Hermione turned to face him and Draco was surprised with what he saw. It wasn't her clothes; she was wearing her everyday robes, it wasn't even her hair. Draco couldn't put his finger on it, but something had changed. And, for some reason, it made him shiver.

"Draco," Hermione said gently. Too gently; he had just cast a freezing spell on her after all. Draco had expected her to scream at least. "You don't have to apologize," she said, crossing the room to stand directly in front of him. "You did what you had to." Hermione looked down at the floor.

"But—"

Hermione gently placed a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him. "You don't need to say anything," she whispered. She moved closer to Draco until he could feel her breath on his face. Draco found himself overwhelmed by a desire to cross the few millimetres between the divide and kiss her. Just complete the picture; he felt as if it would make everything right. Everything he'd ever done wrong. He leaned in slowly, but he didn't dare close his eyes in case Hermione moved away.

She didn't. She stood there unmoving until his lips finally touched hers. Just as they did, Draco felt Hermione's lips moving under his. She was saying something. "I'm not who you think I am," she murmured before pressing her lips against his. Draco's eyes opened wide as his mind started to understand what she was saying. But it was too late. He had fallen to temptation and his arm found its way around Hermione's slender waist, his free hand found its way into her tangled hair. She pulled him closer and Draco finally closed his eyes, not caring what happened, because this felt so right, so good. This couldn't possibly be wrong.

But then something happened. Draco felt Hermione's body start to twist under his. He heard a playful laugh, and then a hiss. He wanted to let go of her, but found that he couldn't. He was stuck to her, and she was changing. Starting to get frightened, he opened his eyes and found that Hermione wasn't Hermione any more. She was turning green, and her body was coiling around his almost like… Almost like a snake…

Draco awoke screaming, not sure if what he had just seen was a dream or not. He forced his open and sat up in bed, looking around, panicked. _It was a dream, just a dream… _he thought, trying to calm himself. It was all too real; it all felt too lucid. Hermione being a snake, and he didn't even want to know what the kiss meant.

He yanked his blanket to one side of the bed, threw on a shirt and stomped down to Hermione's room. He wanted her to get mad, he wanted her to be _real_.

"Hermione!" he bellowed, slamming open her door. He was silently thankful that Harry slept downstairs so he couldn't hear what Draco was doing. Draco stormed into her room. He heard her before he saw her.

"Get out of my room." The iron in her voice proved it; it was her, it was Hermione, it was the girl who had preserved his sanity. Draco was now regretting the fact that he hadn't fully thought out his plan. He didn't want to get hexed, but he had a feeling that he was about to be—

_As he wrapped his arm around her waist, it felt so small, so fragile… Her hair smelled musky, like she'd spent too much time in the library… The kiss was wrong, he knew it was, but in some perverse part of his brain, he enjoyed it. Enjoyed it much more than he should've… She was turning into a snake and it pained him; Malfoy's didn't trust many people… He wanted to make sure she wasn't the Horcrux…_

"I'm not the Horcrux!" Hermione yelled, drawing out of his mind. "Bloody hell, Malfoy, you have some nerve coming into my room after you just cast a freezing spell on me!" She went up to him and was about to hit him when she saw his mouth opened wide.

"Let me explain," he said quickly. Hermione lowered her arm a few millimetres. "I needed to make sure you were angry, because you're yourself when you're angry. You… forget things when you're irate."

"How do you know?" Draco looked at her for a moment and found he couldn't answer. He remembered her at Hogwarts. The time she slapped him after he had insulted Hagrid. Her reaction was not so different from his…

"Listen, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Hermione, I never would have froze you—"

"Getting bossed about up by the boyfriend I don't even have yet, is that it?" Hermione asked snarkily. Her comment, as meaningless as it should've been, felt like a physical blow in the chest to Draco.

"I only wanted to get you angry so you would stay…" Draco whispered. He sounded wimpy, even to his own ears.

"He's left because of you. Because of you, someone I loved left!"

"Someone you loved?" Draco couldn't help from scoffing.

"Don't worry, Malfoy, I wouldn't expect you to understand," Hermione bit back, her face livid. "And I don't need to explain myself. Get out of my room."

"No, Hermione, please—"

"Get out."

"Hermione, be logical—"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM! OUT, MALFOY!" Hermione screeched, her eyes almost glowing with anger.

Draco looked at Hermione coolly for a moment before exiting her room.

* * *

**A/N No sparks for a while yet, I'm afraid. They still need to resolve this issue. I don't believe I've mentioned this before, but don't expect any romance at any point in the near future; it'll take a little bit of time. Well actually, a lot. Thanks to all my faithful reviewers who haven't left me through this three month gap! Review, please! Bisous ~ the shattered star**


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